Barcelona are ready to compete with Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in the pursuit of Hertha Berlin wantaway starlet Lazar Samardzic.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Barcelona are among the clubs keeping an eye on Lazar Samardzic. The Hertha Berlin whizkid is keen on leaving the club this summer in search of a bigger move, with the player already attracting the interest of “half of Europe”.
RB Leipzig are reportedly in pole position to secure the services of the young playmaker. But, the UEFA Champions League semi-finalists are braced to face stiff competition from Barcelona as well as European champions Bayern Munich.
A product of the Hertha youth academy, Samardzic has been making waves in the youth levels of German football over the past couple of years. He has appeared incredibly productive in the U-17 and U-18 Bundesliga, where he has been involved in 21 goals in just 16 matches.
The 18-year-old has also been a regular with the German international youth teams, notably making his U-20 debut earlier this month.
One of the biggest assets that make Samardzic such a prospect in German football is his ability to create chances in the final third. His remarkable vision and excellent ball-carrying qualities bear quite a resemblance to former German national team and Arsenal superstar, Mesut Ozil.
In addition to his chance creation, the Hertha Berlin whizkid is always keen to find the back of the net – making him a promising young attacking midfielder, who is ready to take the next step in his career.
Barcelona’s interest, in that regard, doesn’t come as a surprise. The Catalans have already lost a bunch of their most promising products of La Masia in recent years, including Eric Garcia, Sergio Gomez and Marc Cucurella. Even U-16 right-back Marc Jurado has joined Manchester United this summer.
The potential addition of Samardzic, therefore, could serve as a massive boost for their youth teams. There is no doubt regarding the German’s potential and given Barcelona’s recent struggles in the attacking department, Camp Nou could actually be the best option for the youngster.
At the same time, however, RB Leipzig, too, could offer a lot of prospect for Samardzic. The Bundesliga giants have already lost their star player Timo Werner to Chelsea while Patrik Schick had to leave following the end of his loan spell.
Julian Nagelsmann, therefore, may have to rely on some of his academy players next season, especially if new signing Hee-chan Hwang fails to live up to expectations.
